When do November chicks start to lay?

[farrellyred]

My chicks were born in November and still no eggs :O when will they start to lay.They are 24 weeks old on thursday

 

[hennyannie]

What breed are they? I would think very soon.

 

[sheila3935]

should be soon. My RIR's took 28 weeks

 

[farrellyred]

Quote:
Cochins,sussex and australorp

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
I have two girls that are an EE Wyandotte mix that would have been born in early November. They better start soon and they better lay some big honkin eggs, cause they eat like cows!

 

[chicknmania]

It won't be long. A general rule of thumb we use is five months old, they start laying. More or less. Weather might be a factor.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
Any day, I would think. My November chicks started laying a while back, and all but one are still laying pullet eggs, though.

I guess there are a few things other than age that are prerequisites to laying. Let's see. I won't remember them all, but you've probably already looked them up anyway.

Are they eating formulated layer feed (or at least a feed that is non-medicated) with 16% protein (minimal) or 18% (better)? Chances are they will lay later if they are fed only kitchen scraps and grain, however, some feel that they mature at a more natural rate this way, which means later laying. Personally, I feel better feeding chicks a really well formulated feed while they're growing up so that they have really good nutrition while their egg laying organs are developing.

Does their coop have a window so that they are getting light as soon as the sun comes up extending clear until sundown? I have two little breeding pens without windows and have to let the chickens out into the yard at dawn. Even the rooster's fertility can be affected by the lack of light.

 

[farrellyred]

Quote:
Any day, I would think. My November chicks started laying a while back, and all but one are still laying pullet eggs, though.

I guess there are a few things other than age that are prerequisites to laying. Let's see. I won't remember them all, but you've probably already looked them up anyway.

Are they eating formulated layer feed (or at least a feed that is non-medicated) with 16% protein (minimal) or 18% (better)? Chances are they will lay later if they are fed only kitchen scraps and grain, however, some feel that they mature at a more natural rate this way, which means later laying. Personally, I feel better feeding chicks a really well formulated feed while they're growing up so that they have really good nutrition while their egg laying organs are developing.

Does their coop have a window so that they are getting light as soon as the sun comes up extending clear until sundown? I have two little breeding pens without windows and have to let the chickens out into the yard at dawn. Even the rooster's fertility can be affected by the lack of light.

They are fed vegetable scraps(occasionally), Layers feed(morning) and wheat(evening/night).They have plenty of light where they sleep so that couldn't be a factor either. As for th percentage of protein I honestly don't know.

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

I have 2 Black Australorps and 2 NH Reds hatched early November. One Black Australorp started laying April 20. One NH Red started on April 30. Still waiting on the other two.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
It's just a fact that chickens can do well under many different methods of management and care. So if you're happy with what you're doing, so am I. Seriously. If the chickens are healthy and happy, then everybody's happy.

However, if I were unhappy that they weren't laying yet, I would only give them chicken feed and table scraps that are meat protein (leftover tuna sandwich, leftover spareribs, etc), until they started laying. Once they were laying for a few weeks and got their eggs up to size, then I would start fiddling with their feed by maybe putting out one feeder with chicken feed in it and then another feeder with wheat only. That way they could decide what they wanted. Studies show that after about two weeks adult layers can manage their own protein levels when given the choice between chicken feed and grain if given free choice throughout the day.

Chickens can't manufacture and lay an egg (made of protein) if they aren't eating enough protein. Minimum is usually stated (by the industry) as 16% protein. So if they eat chicken feed only all day long, 16% of their intake is protein. If they eat chicken feed in the morning, then you take the food away, and then in the evening they get wheat, and they eat the same amount of both foods (say 3 ounces in morning and 3 ounces in evening), then your chickens are getting throughout the day about 14% protein. They will likely still lay eggs, but it won't be as many--once you get them started laying.

Additionally, if I'm understanding correctly and you are only feeding them twice a day, they may not be getting enough food to support their maintenance and then go on to lay eggs. Chickens need X amount of energy/protein to maintain their health and then an additional amount to lay eggs. These numbers are out there in the literature. If you find the info, make sure you look at the table for dual purpose breeds and not for leghorns which need less feed than dual purpose chickens like Sussex and Australorps.

Chickens of today have been bred through the last 50 years or so to need X amount of protein/energy to perform. I wish we could just toss them some corn and tell them to go rustle up their own food, but they can't lay much on that. I'm all for supplementing as much as possible with foraging, feeding scraps, and feeding grain, but only after they've gotten their eggs up to medium size or larger.

You mention that they have a lot of light where they sleep. If you mean they have the light on while they sleep, then that can mess up their circadian rhythm which will affect egg laying on some level. Hopefully, you mean that they get natural dark and light periods just as if they were living in the wild.

Again, chickens can do well and thrive under a wide variety of feeding situations, so do whatever works well for you and yours. It may just be a matter of time. After all, chickens are meant to lay sooner or later.

Oh, yeah, and how many roosters are in with them? Any? Too many roosters can agitate the new layers and then they take longer to start laying.